Column: Grease is the word

Terry Marotta reflects on the joys of youth theater after taking in a dress rehearsal of the Concord Youth Theatre's production of "Grease", directed by L-S drama teacher Carly Evans.

Terry Marotta/Guest Columnist

Two weeks ago I had the fun of attending Concord Youth Theatre’s dress rehearsal for a production of “Grease”.

I love community theater, the way those involved squeeze all else in their lives aside to give us that bright wobbly bubble of illusion, and I’m even more knocked out when I see this whole effort put forth by teenagers.

“Presented for you now,” they seem to be saying: “our version of a time we neither witnessed nor remember, conjured here now for your delight. “

They just touch me so — and then there’s how great they all look in their costumes.

Now kids born in the 1990s don’t remember the decade in which this musical is set of, course, but that doesn’t matter, since it was written in the ‘70s and is as much a about that decade as it is about the earlier one. (I mean think about it: In the actual 1950s would a sweet simple "Sandy" really be allowed to repackage herself as sexy vamp to win a "Danny"? In that sealed world with its portly men in their snap-brim fedoras, its women exuding a force field of vigilance from a thousand front porches and kitchen windows? Would a spirited ‘bad-girl’ like Rizzo really posses the social courage to express herself in sexual behaviors, and to frame those behaviors as acts of generosity?)

But as I watched the kids absorbing all their instructions in this sweltering auditorium I came to realize: It didn’t matter if they lacked a historical perspective.

They were just here to act and dance and sing their hearts out.

Which they sure enough did, and never mind that the tail-finned car in the big “Greased Lightning” number split in two when Kenickie went in for the kiss.

Never mind that in the school dance scene, when they’re all meant to shimmy under the limbo bar, the bar itself was nowhere to be found.

This wasn’t opening night — yet.

And a good thing too, since there were lots more orders to given by the two “bosses” — Director Carly Evans, a graduate of NYU’s famous Tisch School and now a teacher of both English and drama at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School; and her mother Lisa, artistic director of this nonprofit organization, which she has been involved with since 1990.

“People, take your cigarette packs!” Boss Lisa had called before the show. “Now look at my face,” she added in classic mom fashion. “I want you to THROW the actual cigarettes AWAY.”

The remarks came thick and fast then and later, many of them around the issues of the costumes, which are mostly scored from area thrift shops.

“Where are my boys with high-tops?And “Eugene, let’s see those geek glasses ON!”

And from the kids’ side, “Lisa, my strap broke,” “Lisa, my hem came down”, “Carly could you hear me OK in my solo?”

But even in rehearsal the show was great. Sandy shone and Danny glowed darkly handsome. Kenickie was likeably caddish and Frenchy was adorable in her Dairy Queen ‘do as the perfect date for Doody, who made all his lines funny. The actress in Eve Arden’s role as Principal McGee sounded just like Julie Child, And naughty Rizzo? Well, Rizzo just broke your heart.

As I was leaving I saw this young Rizzo, whose long hair had been held captive under that short curly wig. With her angel’s face she was calling to me: “Thanks!” she was saying. “Thanks for coming to our show!”

Ah, but didn’t she see? The thanks were all mine to express.

To learn more about the Concord Youth Theatre call 978-371-1482.

Terry Marotta is a columnist, an author, a speaker, a youth group leader, and a person who is happy to help anybody at all who might be struggling to set words down on paper. She can be reached at tmarotta@comcast.net.

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